Interesting topic, because I know that historically, culture and religion had a lot to do with whether or not divorce was acceptable for a failed relationship.  These days, I believe that it has become much more acceptable, in places like China and others.  In my country, the USA, religion and family values has a large impact on the acceptance of divorce.  For example, my grandparents were married for 70 years.  But my father was married 5 different times.

For my grandparents, religion was very important to them (they both passed away last year) and within their religion, divorce was not an option.  My father, who was not religious, married very frequently, and just as frequently, divorced.

I myself, have been divorced, a long time ago, and chose to raise my daughter on my own, because I could provide a better/safe environment for our daughter.  I have not re-married, because I have chosen to make marriage something important, and to not treat it as a recylceable item, so I have waited for the "right" person.

Of course, people should also consider the other circumstances, are there children involved etc.  Ultimately, I believe, if two people are not happy together (it doesn't mean people are happy 100% of the time, that is not realistic), they need to make the right decision for both themselves, and if they have children involved, for their children.  Marriage is important, and every step should be taken to preserve it, but ultimately, we are put on this earth to enjoy it, and to enjoy the relationships we are in.  It always comes down to the choice of the individual, they are the ones that will have to deal with the consequences.

Karen and Nada,

thank you for your comments.  Yes, both of you are very right.  We have an international group, comprised of people from mulitple countries, including Morocco, China, Japan, Korea and many others.  The common demoninator with this group, is that they are all inspired to make a difference around them.  We use english as the basic method of communicating, but the ideas/topics we communicate on, deal with things that will influence the rest of our life.  Wish both of you success in your goals.

yes, I am currently learning Mandarin Chinese, and have done so without any professional schooling.  So far, I have done alright, and when I am speaking to a native chinese speaker, I can understand some of what they say, the general idea, and they can also understand me.

I am pretty fluent in Spanish, but learned this language growing up, in addition to my native English.  I also know some Japanese, Samoan and Tagalog.  I think when learning a language, each person has their best and most effective way for learning it.  For me, learning Chinese has involved the following things: using online sites; watching many chinese movies, listening to chinese music and probably most of all, practicing with friends.  I think the last point is most important, and as I have learned, most people around the world learn some basic english in school, but because they do not have, or choose not to interact with native speakers, they never build up the confidence to become proficient in the language.

The key is: don't be afraid to make a mistake.  That is the only way you will learn.

Hi, contact me at SKYPE:  RJHoward62.   I have been to China many times, and have a basic understanding of Mandarin.  I lead a group, that has members from around the world, with one of our goals is to share language, culture and other things with each other.  I would be interested in learning more about this site you mention

The Person That Influences Me Most

During my life I have met a lot of people and everyone of them have influenced me and while some of those influences were very positive, some weren't. However, I feel very appreciative for all of them because they helped me grow up and become who I am now.
The math teacher in the cram school I went to during my junior high school life was the person that influenced me the most. She was a middle-aged woman with curly long hair and had a kind face with a few wrinkles that showed when she was smiling. She was smiled all the time. These was the way she appeared to me, but isn't the prime reason why she had such an authoritative presence to me.
First, when I had troubles, she always encouraged me to do my best and she used to say, "It doesn't matter if you win or not. The most important thing is to do your best and keep going." Her words always cheered me up and gave me lots of power whenever I felt down in the dumps. Second, she changed my attitude in studying. I can still remember that because I wasn't a hard-working student in elementary school, I didn't win any prizes when I graduated.  Nevertheless, her encouragement helped me to make progress in my studies. I will never forget the way that my learning attitude changed. She continues to play an important role in my life and always stood on my side, supporting me again and again. Now I can tell everyone if not for her influence on me, I'm not able to study in ASHS.